“There is more crispness to his fastball and his slider has gotten better. He came out of spring training with not quite the arm strength he needed. He’s back to where he needs to be.”

Thatcher said Monday that he felt fine during spring training and his slow start was more a case of “the baseball gods” working against him.

“Not one of those hits was over an outfielder’s head,” Thatcher said.

Given what happened in 2010 and 2011 and the fact that he was rehabbing from surgery to his right (landing) knee, Thatcher was on a different throwing schedule from most Padres pitchers this spring. He’d take an extra day off in between bullpen sessions at the start of spring training.

“My shoulder felt great and my knee felt great,” Thatcher said.

Black on the DH

Black said he wouldn’t like to see the National League adopt the designated hitter, although “he’d accept it if it happened.”

Given the new unbalanced schedule with interleague games going on all the time, some National League general managers are in favor of accepting the DH to make it easier on roster management.

“I haven’t thought a lot about it, but I know there has been some talk,” Black said.

Notable

Right-handed pitcher Tyson Ross, who suffered a subluxation (temporary dislocation) of his left shoulder April 17 while swinging the bat, will pitch in relief for Triple-A Tucson tonight. He is not scheduled to hit. Ross needs to prove he can hit and defend his position before he can return to the Padres’ rotation.

• Left fielder/third baseman James Darnell, who had been sidelined since the first weeks of spring training with a strained oblique muscle, began his rehab assignment with the T-Padres on Monday.

• Relievers Luke Gregerson and Huston Street were given Monday off. Street pitched in all three wins against the Giants and on five of the last six days. Gregerson also pitched in all three Giants games and worked four of the last five days.

• Cody Decker has temporarily been transferred from Tucson to Double-A San Antonio to replace injured Tommy Medica, who will miss at least a month with a strained lat muscle. Brandon Allen will play first for the T-Padres.